The importance of being thankful

Is the world really coming to an end?

Starting with the Queensland floods, which were in progress as I was driving up to Darwin, there's been such a spate of disasters. Cyclone Yasi, the volcanic eruption in Indonesia that postponed my Bali trip, then Cyclone Carlos, and now the Japanese disaster. One can't help but feel like the world is really falling apart. When I was young one hardly ever heard about natural disasters. Sure they happened, but always somewhere far away and so removed from our lives that they hardly seemed real. Now everything's instantly available, and thus we are constantly reminded of what terrible shape the world is in.

I feel so awful for the people of Japan, many of whom probably never thought that a nuclear disaster of such a scale could happen in their technologically advanced country. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were so horrific but somehow it was easier to accept psychologically, as there was an "enemy", someone to blame. There's no-one to blame for this disaster - nature chose that place to strike, and it so happens that the nuclear reactors are involved. I wonder if the scientists in the nuclear plants ever projected what would happen in this situation - did they predict that this could be possible? It would be chilling if things were just left the way they were, even if people were aware that this could happen.

If the world really is coming to an end, I must say I feel grateful for what I have been through in this lifetime. There is no time better than now to recapitulate all the things I appreciate in life -
... delicious food (this list would be too long)
... philosophical conversations with strangers
... really wonderful books that transport one to another world
... my piano and violin
... the music of Chopin and so many other great composers (a few current favourites: Meditation by Tchaikovsky, the G major violin concerto by Mozart, Clair de Lune, Salut d'amour by Elgar, the Dvorak violin concerto)
... amazing vistas I have seen - sunsets in Darwin, the Himalayas, Tibetan monasteries with their yak butter lamps and prayer flags, the salt plains of Bolivia.all the crazy experiences I've had while travelling
... frangipani trees
... all the people that have supported me in my studies and career (special mention to my Yr 12 German and chemistry teachers, and to the truly inspirational doctors I have met - Dr Roach, Dr Ong, Dr Kliman & Dr Collins)
... all my pets - Ashley who was with me for 15 years, and Kody who has brought so much joy to our family in the last few months
... let me try the food list now - cookies & creme ice cream... red bean sticky rice dumplings.. ayam goreng at Mamak.. hand made taro balls... cendol, faluda, ais kacang and all other icey drinks.. durians.. fried stinky tofu.. 1000 year eggs.. Rapid creek markets.. green papaya salad.. pad thai man in Krabi.. fresh tuna sashimi... freshly baked bread.. gorgonzola.. smoked salmon.. Campos coffee.. Bees Knees coffee.. kim chi pajeong.. unagi don.. fresh salads at Bagan.. whole fried snapper with lemongrass and chilli at Chat Thai.. ricotta pancakes with honeycomb butter and caramelised banana... fresh edamame.. tomatoes from the garden.. eggplant curry.. coconut oothapam... pongal, dear pongal... paper masala dosas.. besan laddoo... rice with curd and pickles.. mango lassi.. larb... black glutinous rice pudding.. I could probably fill up a whole page with food, but I'll stop now.

... and finally, my family and friends. Thank you all for being there for me at different stages of my life - so many people have passed through, some have stayed for a long time, others just for a little while. Whatever little contribution you have made to my daily life or overall life, whether we laughed or cried together, shared a life changing experience or an ice-cream.. it all matters, and I wouldn't be who I am without you.

This sounds like some sort of acknowledgement at the end of a book (except the food list is too long to be in one), but really I am just thankful on this day that I am alive and healthy, and that I've had such a great life so far. Let's hope the world keeps it together for a while longer, so I get to travel to a few more places and eat a lot more food!